by Dan | Oct 18, 2026 | Etc.
For more than 30 years, Sarah and I lived by schedules. Patients to see. Charts to complete. Questions/labs/radiology reports to review (even when we were on vacation.) Children to raise. Races to run. Responsibilities everywhere.
And now, when we spent our week out in the Hills, we experienced something we haven’t had much of during our married life. Absolutely no where we had to be…and nobody telling us where we needed to be. When we got up in the morning we could decide if we were going to hike, and where. Or do we go biking? Or just go take pictures? Or relax yet in the morning with some coffee and breakfast. No appointments. No schedules. No deadlines.
The first few days out there were more structured. We ran the Crazy Horse Half Marathon, and our friends Tom and Sue Beaudry were there. Tom and I helped each other finish the Half. They were there another couple days following this, and we got to spend some time exploring and hiking with them…and their dog Charlie. What a blast!
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But then…it was just the two of us! And something happened. We discovered the freedom of having no agenda. No other races or scheduled events. We both commented on this several times. “What are we going to do today?” “I don’t know. What do you want to do?” “Whatever we want!”
We tested out our new bike helmet. They were connected to WiFi, so we could just talk and we could hear each other without having to scream out what we were saying. That is the coolest thing!!
My word for the year again is “Adapt”. I am now discovering that adapt does not always have to mean dealing with something difficult. Sometimes adapting means learning how to enjoy freedom you’ve never really had before. Don’t get me wrong. We had a blast with our friends out there, and could’ve even done the whole week that way. But, the last 4 days we had. Just the two of us. And that is when we discovered something different. We could go wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted, and do whatever we wanted. And the best part then? We got to do it together! We’ve crossed a lot of finish lines over the years. But perhaps this is one of the starting lines we’ve been looking forward to the most. We got to find out about it sooner than I thought we would.
This trip is exactly what we have been training for. Not the Half Marathon itself. Everything that came afterward. Time with friends. Hikes. Bikes. The exploring. And then…time with Sarah. And the wonderful realization that we didn’t have to hurry back for anything (other than to rescue our daughter Megan who was watching our dog Dakota!) This is why we keep moving…so we can keep moving later.
So, as I always say…Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 963
by Dan | Oct 10, 2026 | Etc.
Mark your calendars! It is time to celebrate the retirement of 3 Physicians. Dr. Sarah Reiffenberger; Dr. Greg Larson; Dr. Craig Crismon! It will be set for Sunday October 25, 2026, from 1-3 PM at the Watertown Event Center. They would all love to see you there. When we physicians retire, the hardest part is giving up our patients. And…we want to make sure our patients are going to be taken care of. They would appreciate seeing their patients show up and wish them well! The 3 of them combined have almost 100 years of service to their patients, and the Watertown Community! Help us celebrate with them! Show up for some cake, treats, and conversation! Help spread the word! See you then!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 956
by Dan | Oct 4, 2026 | Etc.
After more than 3 decades of practicing medicine as a Family Physician in Watertown, it is now Sarah’s turn to retire…officially! She finished up at the end of this week. I have been waiting since March to have her join me. I have figured out “some” of this retirement gig, but I am so excited for her to be done. For all of these years we have been taking care of patients, and now we get to take care of each other. How does somebody go celebrate retirement? We go run the Crazy Horse Half Marathon! Is that “Crazy” or what??? What could possibly go wrong, right?
I loved the balloons she got at clinic–“Congratulations…quitter!” What can we say? Yep! And proud of it! Time to start doing some traveling. Spending time as grandparents…and parents. Time to do “whatever, whenever, and however” we want too! We don’t know exactly what this “next road” will really entail, but we are ready to do this thing together! Bring it on!!
There was a celebration for her on Friday, along with Dr. Crismon, and Dr. Greg Larson, as they are all retiring at the same time.
They were sporting their “Quitter” shirts…all with a picture of them when they were younger in practice. Looking back at all of this, all I can say is “Wow!”… How time flies!
I am ready for this next adventure Sarah. Let’s do this retirement right!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 949
by Dan | Sep 20, 2026 | Etc.
After Mom’s funeral Tuesday, somebody said we needed to get a picture of all of the siblings together. We are in order…looking at the picture, the left side is the youngest, and going to the oldest on the right. My sister was truly sandwiched in the middle…3 boys first, then her, then 3 more boys. We’ve taken plenty of family pictures over the years. But this one felt different…Memories came to a head! Growing up together. Mom and Dad. The things you got in trouble for. Holidays. Who you’ve each become. How rarely everyone is in one place anymore. And now the strange realization that you are the generation at the top of the family tree.
Dad has been gone now for 12 years. Mom is now missing from this picture…but she’s also the reason the picture exists. We gathered this week because we lost Mom. But as I looked around, I realized I was also looking at what Mom and Dad had given us. A family. Not a perfect family. No family is. But ours. We have already made plans for my siblings to get together with each other every year.
For the first time, neither Mom nor Dad was standing with us for the family picture. And yet somehow, they were all over it…
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 935
by Dan | Sep 13, 2026 | Etc.
My mom passed away in the early morning hours of Tuesday this week. Funeral is set for Tuesday this coming week. Lots of things to prepare and go through. First, thank you all who have extended comments to me and my family. It is truly appreciated. I will get around to responding to all of them as well. One comment came as a reminder to me…a story I actually have told so many times I have lost count of it. This reminder came from a daughter of a patient I took care of and told the story to as well. I think it is fitting here as well.
I forget how many years ago this occurred, but one I will never forget. I have told many people, patients, and even to my mom before. She loved it too.
I was taking care of elderly couple in the nursing home. They were both 95 at the time. He passed away. She was very upset. She made it clear she wanted to go first. She did not want to have to go through life without him. She spent the next couple of years being very isolated, not smiling, and irritable. She was never like this prior. One day I came to visit her in the nursing home. She was sitting in a recliner in her room, holding a book, eyes closed, and had a big smile on her face. I touched her arm, and she opened her eyes, still wide smile. I asked “how is it going today?” “Fantastic!” she said. “Why?” I asked. She held up the book. It was showing the back cover, so I did not know what it was. “What book is that?” I asked. She turned it over…it was a bible. “You were reading your bible…great!” I said. She said “No…you don’t understand. This is my husband’s bible. Mine is at the front of the room, and I did not want to get up and go over and get it, so I reached down under the end table by the bed and grabbed my husband’s instead. When I opened the book, it fell open to a spot where he had left a letter for me, and I first read it now. I did not know it was there. At the end, he said my time will come when God gets the curtains done for my room. Obviously, my curtains must not be done yet!” She smiled, and from that point on, she was again happy. She participated in activities. She ate with the rest of the residents. She smiled. She was happy again. She passed away 6 months later, but she finished living her life. Her curtains had not been finished…until then. So when patients would ask me “why am I still here?”, I would tell them this story, and that the curtains for their room were not done yet. I told my mom this story. She loved it. We would joke at times when visiting…”do you think my curtains are getting closer to being done?”, she asked me. “I don’t know”, I would say. “God is in charge. He is taking extra time and effort to get yours done right.”
This blanket was given to my mom from my brother Rich, and his wife Jeanne. It was the last photo of all of us together. It has been on her bed like a bed spread ever since…until the day she passed away. I think her curtains now are made of this as well…
I can’t tell anyone else exactly how they should understand a story like this. I can only tell you what it means to me.
I believe Mom’s room was finally ready.
Mom, I’ve told this story so many times.
I even told it to you.
This week, I’m holding onto it myself.
You’ve waited long enough.
God has your curtains done now, Mom.
I hope they are beautiful!!!!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of newest streak: # 928
